Make no mistake about it — the UP Fighting Maroons versus the Ateneo Blue Eagles is definitely the biggest matchup in Philippine collegiate basketball today.
It's hard to make sense of that statement given that just two years ago (and decades before that), ADMU against the De La Salle Green Archers was the de facto marquee matchup in the UAAP.
But is the Battle of Katipunan really ready to supplant Ateneo vs. La Salle as the country's top basketball rivalry?
How it all started
Back in the early days of Philippine college ball, Ateneo vs. San Beda was the hottest ticket in college basketball. It was a rivalry that culminated in an infamous closed-door Finals match between the Eagles and the Lions in 1977 and with Ateneo leaving the NCAA to join the UAAP the year after. But in between those physical battles between Ateneo and San Beda, DLSU was already emerging as an interesting matchup for the Blue Eagles.
Little did we know that an upset Finals victory against Ateneo in 1939 was only the first of many thrilling Finals matchups (10 so far, with each side winning five apiece) the two teams would eventually take part of across different leagues. DLSU transferring to the UAAP in the late '80s (and the intense battles with Ateneo that followed soon after) solidified their status as the Eagles' chief rival.
The Battle of Katipunan, on the other hand, was really just another way to sell an otherwise regular game. UP has never really been competitive in the UAAP after Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc, and Eric Altamirano claimed the crown in 1986. Just a few years ago, it wasn't unthinkable for UP to finish an entire season without a single win. They even once threw a party for winning a regular season game (that win did end an almost two-year losing streak).
But after last year's miraculous run to the UAAP Finals and a huge recruiting coup this summer, the Fighting Maroons have suddenly become one of the only legitimate threats to topple Coach Tab Baldwin's version of an Ateneo dynasty.
Past seasons' declarations of "Atin 'to!" and clutch shots to steal games one after the other have also resulted in a renewed reputation and interest for the Diliman squad. By all accounts, this season's tickets for the Battle of Katipunan were harder to come by than the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry game. And by the looks of it, it will be the same scenario for the second round.
How UP-ADMU holds up against ADMU-DLSU
The basketball pedigree of both Ateneo and La Salle, especially in more recent times, are undeniable. In the Final Four era of UAAP basketball, both schools have been regular fixtures on the podium with Ateneo winning eight championships and La Salle following closely with seven chips of their own. And if not for the games that were forfeited by La Salle for fielding in ineligible players, the win-loss record of both schools against each other would be more or less equal. It's that narrow gap between the two schools that legitimizes their rivalry.
The fact that any of the two teams can come out victorious in any given game gives each match a sense of importance and unpredictability that lends itself to many classic moments. Ask any fan from both schools and they'll gladly recount for you their favorite scenes from years past (which will probably include stories about Larry Fonacier's pair of blocks on Mac Cardona and Carlo Sharma's unlikely scoring outburst). It's these moments and the give-and-take nature of the ADMU-DLSU rivalry that make it such an enthralling watch.
That is what we've been finding lacking in the Battle of Katipunan so far. Has UP ever beaten Ateneo in a single meaningful game? It hasn't, which is why there is a scarcity of classic ADMU-UP moments in basketball history. Granted, it's only been a season since UP's climb back to the top after more than three decades, but UP has to at least prove it can actually challenge and beat Ateneo before we can even think of elevating the Battle of Katipunan to classic matchup status.
Let's face it, this season's first duel was a total letdown. A 20+ point margin is not what electrifying matchups are built upon (Ateneo and La Salle's first two Finals duels back in the NCAA were decided by an average of three points) and a tussle with the referees will not fuel a pop culture-defining rivalry.
It's undeniable that the Battle of Katipunan has surpassed the ADMU-DLSU rivalry game in Season 82 in terms of hype and maybe even actual competitiveness. But it will be difficult for UP-ADMU to become the next big thing in basketball if Diliman continues to collect L's in their games against their Quezon City neighbor. The Fighting Maroons will have another crack at the Eagles in the coming weeks and, if predictions hold true, should face them in the Finals for the second year in a row. If we are to discuss declaring Blue versus Maroon to be better than Blue versus Green, then UP has to make their upcoming battles truly compelling first.
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